New Year, New Job? The equation that will help you work out if it’s time to move on.

Nothing says it’s time for a change like the start of a new year. So if you’re thinking that maybe it’s time to look for a new job or even work for a different company then this formula might help make that decision. This is the same advice that I give University and High School Students through my mentoring & guest lectures.

JOB > ORGANISATION

So the first equation is where you have the opportunity to work a job that you love. Whilst the organisation might not be your dream company your role within the organisation allows you to do your best work where you feel motivated and engaged to keep striving for more. I’m currently in that role at the moment, whilst I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never said I’m extremely passionate about health care, what I am passionate about though is my job & legacy I’m creating within the organisation. I’m in a role that was newly created for me, was a blank canvas at the start to write my own job description, requires me to innovate from the inside as an intrapreneur, has me up on stage speaking and training hundreds of staff and executive and is a portfolio project as I can say I’ve grown this role from nothing into something.

JOB < ORGANISATION

The second equation is where you are so passionate about the organisation that you work for that if it didn’t exist then you would have founded it yourself. You can’t wait to tell everyone who you work for, their goals for the future and why it’s the best place in the world to work for. You don’t actually care what job that you have to take to work there, you’d happily be the janitor if it means working there. This doesn’t mean that you’ll have the role for life but you know that this is the organisation you wan’t to work for and you will have the opportunities to grow with the organisation.

HOLY GRAIL

The Holy Grail is when you have a dream job that uses your skills & allows you to grow coupled with working for an organisation that you believe in and who’s values & ethics match yours. Or maybe you just truly believe in the purpose of the company & as they sell their pursuit & not their product.
It would be naive of me to not acknowledge that the job market in certain industries is extremely tough right now but readers of this blog know from my story and the stories of others that if you really want something then you stop at nothing to go get it. So if you’re thinking about changing jobs soon or have realised that your current job doesn’t fit into either of those equations then before applying for a new job ask yourself the following question. Is this job so amazing and perfect for me that I’d take the chance to do this work anywhere or is this organisation so amazing that I’m willing to do whatever job it takes to get myself through the door and to grow from there?

PS: This post doesn’t take into consideration working for yourself, something that I’ve done as a side project, there’s nothing as rewarding as knowing that all the energy and hard work that you’re putting into something has your name attached to it.